Hello everyone! I'm brand new here (registered about 5 minutes ago) and will be picking up a surrendered dog tomorrow. I read through a number of the forums and was so touched by the level of sincerity and true concern for the welfare of these animals.

It's for this reason I figured I'd touch base early so I can make things as easy for this pup as I can.

The story: I noticed a posting on craigslist by a woman pleading for someone to help her neighbor's dog as they said they were going to put him down. Apparently the dog has demodex mange on his face and head and they either didn't feel like treating it or were financially unable to do so...

The puppy is only 6 or 7 months old so I doubt anyone would actually euthanize the dog for them but I was worried about what measures they might take if the dog became too much.

Anyway, I contacted the woman and with the support of the rescue I work with (Paws of Tomorrow) I'll be heading to Baltimore MD tomorrow afternoon to get the little guy.

The challenge: I've never dealt with an animal with mange before and really don't want to screw this up. I've done some reading and know there are treatments and suppliments and medications available. I also know I should make sure he gets healthy nutritionally to help his body fight the infection/mites. Lastly I know I have to work to keep his environment as stress free as possible... yeah, we'll see how well that works out
with three other dogs, a cat, and a work schedule even I can't figure out it's tough.

To make a long story... well long, I'm reaching out for any suggestions or ideas you might have to help me get this little guy back in good health so he can be adopted by his furever family.

oh dear, he looks very much like Sam I Am did. If you are able to do so, look through the archives and you will see Sam's story. Basically he will need antibiotics, most likely Cephalexin, a medicated bath weekly or more, treatments of advantage multi bi-monthly, and atopica. That was Sam's regime. He had the mange but he also had seasonal allergies so we battled on and off depending on what was growing. I hope this little guy does well and thanks for giving him a chance, he will repay you with love and gratitude that will amaze you

__________________
"For every animal that dies in a shelter, there is someone somewhere responsible for its death".

Bless you for taking this dog into your care. I find alot of people who don't want to deal with DMange.

We have had so many cases of DManage in our rescue this past year. close to 30 last year ranging from 5 weeks old to well in to adulthood. Its terrible how people let their babies get like this. Recently we rescued a dog from Seattle that had the worst case we had ever seen. His name is Dexter. You can actually read about him on our blog. http://www.wbbr.ca/wbbr-blog/

The positive side of your dog's mange is the age. Puppies and young dogs often develop mange due to immature immune systems. As the immune systems mature (around 18-24 mnths) the concerns of mange re-occurring are few. When mange happens in older dogs it is often the signs of a compromised immune system.

We have treated many dogs with mange, Our routine is the same for all of them (changing slightly with each case and as we learn of new tricks). We feel that it's very important to deal not only with the mange mite itself but also the cause of the infestation, the immune system. The demodex or mange mite is carried by all dogs (why it is not contagious). It's up to the immune system of the dog to control the mite and in those who have an immature or compromised immune system it is unable to do so and the mite is able to take over.

For the mange itself we treat with one of two options.

We prefer to use Promeris. This is a monthly topical flea treatment which is also used in the control of demodex. We follow the regime of 1st dose, 2nd dose 2 weeks later and then further doses 30 days apart. (this medication is only available in the US)

We don't bother to do the skin scraping for 3 months from
Initially starting the treatment as you are not going to get a negative test before that time.

In severe cases we use ivomec. Dosing is key and is best given daily orally. This medication is so toxic and works against us in boosting the immune system that we prefer to use it only when the Promeris does not work.

For secondary skin infections we pull out the big guns and use keflex. 3 pills a day and will give 14-21 days depending on the severity of the secondary infections.

For comfort measures and to help promote healing. We bath the dogs every second day. We don't use pyoban or any vet product. We use Aveno Oatmeal baby shampoo. This shampoo is soothing to the skin. We scrub and we scrub hard (using a rubber wash mitt). The skin will flake off, the scabs peel off and the sores open up but we need to get through it all to find healthy skin. After the bath we use a couple of different products. Vetrycine is one of our go to sprays. This is an antibacterial, promotes healing and is soothing. We also use Aloe juice or gel. (I'll talk about it below in supplements). We will once every few days rub this in to the skin for it's comforting and healing properties. If this skin appears to be burning we use this to sooth the skin. This is pure aloe purchased from the health food store. NOT an aloe jel for sunburns etc.

Now on to supplements and food. We feel you can't treat mange if you don't treat the route cause of it which is the immune system. Help build the immune system up so it's able to kick in and maintain what all the medicines are helping it do.

Feed a high quality food low in grains or without. Raw food is optimal but not required. If switching to raw we recommend using meats only for the first while (no fruits or veggies). Mites feed on the yeast in the body and grains, fruit and veggies can help to increase the yeast levels.

Supplements that we add to help boost the immune system:
Missing Link
Edible Aloe (we purchase this from the health food store. Here the brand is Lily of the Dessert, not sure if they have that there). This comes as a concentrate, a gel and a juice. Doesn't matter which one.
Pure plain (unflavoured) yogurt.
Manuka honey. http://www.manukaonline.com/

For the open sores:
The vetrycine does a
Wonderful job in helping to heal them.
With Dexter and another boxer Mugsy we have just learned of the healing qualities of Manuka honey and have been using it to help heal the badly infected areas. You may have seen the pictures of Dexter with his head and feet wrapped. Under those wraps are gauze pads covered in honey, placed on the sores and then wrapped to keep them in place. This helps to pull the infection out and heal the skin. We have been amazed at how well it has worked and have only needed to wrap them for 4-7 days. We leave the wraps on for approx 12 hours at a time (if we are able to). Usually overnight and then let it air during the day. Usually wrapping once dry after a bath. It is also important to remove any stress from your dog. Stress during healing will often flair the mange up and slow healing.

Hope these tips helps you

Please let us know how it works for you. There's other creams etc that we have tried as well but this is currently our main regime and it seems to work wonders!

Monty is doing really well with his new routine! I took him to the vet and she was positive. He got his rabies vacination and came back heartworm negative.

Monty receives cephelaxin twice a day and ivermectin in increasing dosages once a day. He's getting medicated baths twice a week. I've added vitamin and skin/coat supplements to his food. Thank you for the tip about the low grain food... I hadn't thought about it but it makes sense!

He's still got a lot of open sores and I've been putting neosporin on them. He's also itching a lot (to be expected) so he's been getting benedryl PRN.

Other than this I'm trying to get him acclimated with living in a pack and a family. Monty is still a puppy and still does puppy stuff but from what I can see he's a FANTASTIC dog. He's shown no food/toy/water agression, he's great with the dogs, great with the cat, LOVES his people, and takes correction so well. I've got great expectations for this guy and am so excited to see him thrive.

Thank you for your wonderful support and your great feedback. I look forward to sharing our successes in the future.

Monty is doing really well with his new routine! I took him to the vet and she was positive. He got his rabies vacination and came back heartworm negative.

Monty receives cephelaxin twice a day and ivermectin in increasing dosages once a day. He's getting medicated baths twice a week. I've added vitamin and skin/coat supplements to his food. Thank you for the tip about the low grain food... I hadn't thought about it but it makes sense!

He's still got a lot of open sores and I've been putting neosporin on them. He's also itching a lot (to be expected) so he's been getting benedryl PRN.

Other than this I'm trying to get him acclimated with living in a pack and a family. Monty is still a puppy and still does puppy stuff but from what I can see he's a FANTASTIC dog. He's shown no food/toy/water agression, he's great with the dogs, great with the cat, LOVES his people, and takes correction so well. I've got great expectations for this guy and am so excited to see him thrive.

Thank you for your wonderful support and your great feedback. I look forward to sharing our successes in the future.

Stay tuned!

Did the vet recommend the neosporin? With Sam they wanted the sores to ooze so that they would dry out and heal more rapidly. Also, with Sam, he had a lot of yeast from the infections and putting anything on the spots caused more problems. Not to say that it isn't ok for your guy, just might want to make sure?

__________________
"For every animal that dies in a shelter, there is someone somewhere responsible for its death".

Great news!
Thank you for taking such care.
I fostered a little pup that also had demodex. She did great and found her forever home.
She did however have another minor set back a few months later, but they got her back to the vet and treatment began again.

Demodex can rear it's ugly head even after treatment. Just keep an eye on it after so that you can react quickly should it re-appear.

Why on earth did the vet vaccinate him at this time? It clearly states on the product insert that vaccines should only be administered to healthy animals. Drives me nuts that vets regularly disregard this little tidbit. From Pfizer's own website: http://www.pfizerah.com/PAHimages/co...compliance.pdf

Quote:

Primary Vaccination: Administer a single 1-mL dose at 3 months of age or older to healthy dogs and cats.

......PRECAUTIONS:

7. This product has been shown to be efficacious in healthy animals. A protective immune response may not be elicited if animals are incubating an infectious disease, are malnourished or parasitized, are stressed due to shipment or environmental conditions, are otherwise immunocompromised, or the vaccine is not administered in accordance with label directions.

Glad to hear that Monty is doing better though, despite being vaccinated. I'd still be inclined to question it at his next vet appointment. Having had one of my own cats vaccinated when he was ill and then dealing with the almost deadly repercussions, this isn't something I take lightly.

The vet told me she doesn't like to vaccinate dogs until they're completely demodex free but we weighed the options... Monty is an un-neutered pitbull (he'll be altered when he's demodex free) and if (God Forbid) he ever got out and bit someone it would be a huge liability. He'd have to be quarantined or put down... The vet left it up to me and I made the choice to have only his rabies vaccination administered. We're holding off on the others until he's demodex free.

I knew there was a risk involved and that its not recommended but I felt this was the best course of action.

I put neosporin on a few places that were particularly bad to keep them from getting infected. The vet said this would be ok.

Monty's getting his baths and his head is looking SO much better. It's drying out and has cute little tufts of hair growing back in. He's VERY itchy so he gets Benadryl PRN.

He's also learning the schedule and getting the hang of being part of our pack. He even plays well with my 3 legged Chihuahua! He's so gentle. All in all Monty is a great pup who's going to make a family very happy once he's all healed up!

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Its great to be so supported!

Awww Jessica,what a sweet little boy he is,I am so glad he's with you and has a nice couch to sleep on
When he is all recovered he will be a very nice looking pitty.
I take it there is no law against having Pit-Bulls where you are,like we have here

No, thankfully no laws against pits here. I'm sure he's a mix of some sort... He's got a pit head but his chest and shoulders are more Labby. Monty has been with me for almost a month now and I'm SO excited about his progress. It's been a while since he had any accidents, he's much better about not jumping, and he's even started playin with my 3-legged chi mix! It's too funny to see them romp around.

Monty's hair is growing back on the top of his head and the back of his head/nape of his neck is drying out very nicely. Monty takes direction like a champ and has mastered "sit", "down", "off", and "stay". What a smart boy!

I'm particularlly impressed with how well he does at feeding time. I put his bowl in his kennel and he knows to sit and wait until I tell him its ok to eat. So smart!

I know we've still got some time ahead of us till he can be adopted but I'm so excited for the day when he goes to his furever home. He's going to make some family so amazingly happy!

THANK YOU! It makes my heart swell to look at how far he's come in such a short period of time. I can't wait to see how he'll look in another month! Once he's had two negative skin scrapes he'll be considered "healed" (if I remember correctly from our visit to the vet). Once he's better physically he can get the rest of his vaccinations and be neutered. It's going to be hard to let this one go but I know he's a great boy and is going to be such a wonderful companion.